Kanzakithe birth, the legend, the neechin
by kevslave
Summary: Kanzaki's life since birth, secrets behind the Amakusa, Kanzaki's dark past, her father and mother, and the unexpected meeting with a certain spiky-haired boy...
1. Chapter 1

**Nothing serious about this guys. Just writing a chapter until my files on the sports day fic get's fixed. As you read the summary already, it's a kanzaki fic. The first chapter, as expected, is a bit weird but I've already written five other chapters out of fun. So review if you want it to go on.**

**P.S. Don't worry I will continue my sports day once my document stops showing pound symbols.**

**Cover design**: It is midnight in some lake in England. The dim-light shining upon the pier that was on the side. Kanzaki was there holding her knees on the edge of it. She wears her usual short white T-shirt tied into a knot at the bottom, revealing her navel; a pair of jeans below with one side sawed off, revealing her thigh. Because the T-shirt is tied down, her breasts are much more noticeable. Despite her princess like looks, she is staring at the large moon with a lonesome expression—as if she was alone in this world. But her reflection showed an all too different image. It was an image of a girl wearing a kimono around 5 that is embraced by her short haired father and mother smiling without a care in the world...

_-credits to Cookie monster gurl for giving me the idea(the cover)_

* * *

18 years ago

It was about midnight.

The moon was out and showing.

The mystifying and wonderful atmosphere of this rock orbiting the earth has not ever misdid it's duty since ancient times.

Right now, it's dim light is showing on a household in Japan.

The house was big and had the same design as the Edo period. Thee balcony outstretched on all sides of the house. The wood used was of western import, the cedar. The roof that was supposed to be reddish-brown, is tainted blue by the darkness of the night.

The zen garden on the back was filled with numerous types of plants and vines from various countries around the earth; it did not lose the air of Japanese heritage though.

The zen stones that were placed in an orderly manner formed a beautiful image of some mystical creature. It was as though this garden was meant to show the conversion of Eastern and Western cultures.

If one were to look at it from the sky through an airplane's window, they would see that the structure of the house is in the shape of a phoenix.

This traditional Japanese housing design does not have a designated use for each room aside from the entrance area , kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. Any room can be a living room, dining room, study, or bedroom. This is possible because all the necessary furniture is portable, being stored in oshiire, a small section of the house, or large closets, used for storage.

The corridors were empty and without a soul in sight. The house also keeps it's retro design by not having any lights to brighten this dark corridor.

On either side of it were the Japanese-only paper sliding doors. The design of the door were a number of pink sakura petals and little animals from here to there. The pattern of the doors were repeated until the end of the corridor.

At this time, no one would be awake.

But there was a shadow made by a candle on one side of the paper door. There were four candles seen through that door; so every figure behind that door could be seen vaguely. A man was standing there with his arms crossed, and there was one man and two other women crouching next to a woman who's lying on the floor. One man was also at the end of the woman's legs.

But the woman on the floor was in a strange position.

Both her legs are arched up and spread apart. Her head also was looking at the space between her legs.

But the important part was not her position,

it's her bloated stomach.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

A woman's scream could be heard through that door. Her voice was highpitched and full of pain. She sounded like a person being stabbed.

"Koji...I ca...can't...aaahhhhh!"

She screamed once more; this time calling a person's name. The man who's kneeling next to her responded. He held the hand that was struggling to find something to grab a hold on and tried to assure her that he was right her.

The woman had shoulder length black hair and amber brown eyes. She was wearing a Kimono with a loose obi and the middle portion of her body down to her bare navel could be seen. Her face was beautiful and quite proportional, but it was covered with pain and sweat.

"Hold on Mayuri! It'll be over soon!"

The man's comforting voice helped the woman settle down a bit. But tears and the painful groans still couldn't be contained in her throat and eyes. This made the man very unsettling.

He was a man with short black hair. His face was stern and well-formed; similar to an eastern general. His eyes were an alluring color of purple.

He bolted his eyes towards the men who were on the other end.

"Oi Tatemiya! You sure that this'll be okay!"

That was directed at the man who was standing cross-armed furthest away.

He was a large black-haired man with thick, bushy eyebrows.

He had braided hair. He wore a customized version of the standard Yukata, which leaves the left side of his chest and abdomen bare. He has a tattoo of 5 tomoe encircling each other on his left shoulder.

The most striking was his sunglasses with different colored lenses. One was orange and the other was green.

When asked that, the one named Tatemiya curled his brows and scratched his chin.

Eventually, he gave an answer.

"If my experience is right, my wife cried more than you when she gave birth to little Saiji."

Those words were hoping to calm down his friend, but he didn't seem convinced at his friends words. That's why he's sweating even more. The woman who's being held by the hand felt the sweat dripping from his wrist and looked at his face.

The face of a worried father.

"Calm down Kojiro"

That was from the old man who was on his knees at the end of his wife's feet.

This man has a face that would make all people agree that it looks like a frog. He has white hair all over his head that is ready to fall off any second and wrinkles on his forehead. The sleeves of his green shirt were tucked to his elbows, and his labcoat was thrown somewhere at the beginning of the therapy.

"What your partner needs now is confidence. If you have any doubt whatsoever that this will not end well, that's the part you'll regret the most. So believe with all your heart that all this will have a happy-ending with everyone smiling and laughing."

The old man moved his eyes to look into the to-be father. Those hazy eyes were filled with confidence and strength that was hard to find in the old men of this age.

"...You sure doctor?"

His voice dropped low as he asked the old man. He wasn't trying to hide his fear at all—as there was no reason to do so.

"How do you think I am?"

The old doctor gave a childish smile unfitting to his age.

But it it was those eyes that made the to-be father sure that all this would end well.

It was the right choice to invite this doctor to come at the 7th month of pregnancy.

This doctor often mentioned as "The Frog-faced Doctor" by many people, is an exceptionally-gifted and benevolent physician known by those who were cared by him or informed personnel. It may seem better to hire a doctor whose profession deals with genealogy to do this task, but this doctor has any fields of expertise.

It was said that he can even bring a man who was dead to breath again.

That is why he has nothing to worry about.

"Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"

When he thought that she would stop crying in pain, a loud yell was made by her; nearly shattering his eardrums. His eyes were looking at her eyes. They were both filled with pain.

And the doctor suddenly said something in an unpredictable tone.

"This is bad...Abnormal presentation..."

"What doctor!" the husband sensed the tenseness and dryness in the voice of the doctor. As if it something has gone completely wrong.

"It's an Abnormal presentation. The baby might not come out easily."

"In Japanese doctor!" he shouted back at the frog-faced doctor.

The doctor wiped his forehead before explaining.

"The term refers to when a fetus in transverse lie cannot deliver vaginally and requires a cesarean section to avoid uterine rupture during labor. She may also have a placenta previa which is the cause of the transverse lie."

The husband's face paled instantly. If this is true, it means the baby's path to the delivery may have some obstacles and is blocked like a tumor being the cause of cancer.

"We will need an urgent cesarean because of the prolapsed cord. If the fetus and arm are relatively small in comparison to the maternal pelvis, vaginal delivery may still be possible, but with some risk of injury to the arm. We've got to hurry otherwise we're losing both the baby and the mother."

The doctor uttered the most dangerous scenario.

But being filled with fear right now would not help at all. So he took a few breaths and passed the warmth to his wife through his large palms.

The cross-armed Tatemiya also started to have worry on his face. It seems as though he's doubting the outcome of this delivery.

But the doctor's face did not change one bit. When he said those words his face twisted with many emotions, but it eventually settled and he returned to his calm and patient surgical mode.

He started opening a parcel about the size of a person's arm that was setting beside him. A number of silver surgical tools were inside. No matter if it's knives, pincers, or bone saws, they are all in that small of parcel.

He quickly, but accurately, cleaned the tools in the warm water from the basin that was prepared beforehand.

Once that step was done, he placed two sharp objects attached to a long pencil-like metal next to the mother's cervix. Those were used to take care of the skin and meat that was blocking the infant's passageway.

Blood dyed the woven tatami floor to turn red. The amount of blood flowing seemed dangerous from the perspective of the two younger men. But they seem to not interfere as the frog-faced doctor seemed to know what he was doing.

He equipped himself with a new tool this time. It looked more curved than the one before. The property of this surgical tool maybe for plunging rather than removing; similar to the one's dentist's use to remove the cavity in a patient's tooth.

He plunged it into her vagina once again, this time he seemed more careful than the time before. It looked more deep also. He kept moving his hands in a motion that was hard to understand, because was not their duty to do so.

The doctor threw it away once more and grabbed another tool from his emergency kit. His hands were too fast this time for their eyes to see. They only know that he went to take an incision above the fallopian tube. Not as much blood this time as it was before, but this act seemed to take more priority than the before actions.

Now he removed both tools in his hands.

The only thing left were the gloves he was wearing. The white color was now covered with the blood from the surgery...but it was far from over.

Sweat of anxiety came down the men and women's cheeks. But none of them could stop once they have gotten this far. Two lives hangs in the balance now.

The doctor was careful.

"I'm starting to see the waist of the baby! Now ineed you to push as hard as you can so as to aid me in taking him out!"

The mother was in pain.

"Nooooooooooo!"

The friends of the mother were supportive.

"Hold on Mayuri! Use the breathing techniques we taught you!"

"A few pushes more!"

Tatemiya was trying to be helpful.

"I'll go get some more towels! We'll need them!"

The husband was about to become a father.

"I'm here Mayuri...I'm here...right now...so don't be afraid...we're are all right here with you..."

All of them wee praying. Praying to the God they believe. Their hands are not cupped, they did not make a cross by waving their fingers across their chests, nor did they say some sermon out loud, but all of them, in their hearts, gave the most faith they can give at this moment...

Just so to see this baby come out ok.

"We're almost done! One big push!"

"One more Mayuri-chan!"

"Anego one more!"

"Oi Kanzaki you ok!"

"Kojiroooooo!"

"I'm here Mayuri! I'm here Ma..."

A baby cries.

"...yuri..."

He stopped whatever he was about to say. He heard something amazing. Something he thinks he would not hear ever again in this life of his. The sound that was rough, but gave him the feeling of an angel descending.

"Congratulations Kojiro-kun", the doctor said while wrapping something in a soft towel, "It's a baby girl"

The old doctor carefully passed the object to Kanzaki as slow as he can. Kanzaki received it with the same speed. But he was more gentle in handling it. As if it were to shatter if he were to add too much force.

His hands were clearly shaking.

Not with fear, but with joy.

He used his middle and index fingers to move the part of the towel covering the thing that's enveloped within.

When he saw it,

he broke into tears.

Because in there, was a crying infant that just entered this world with a loud noise. Her eyes were the same color as her father's. The cheeks were puffed at a bright red like all newborn. But he sensed something different coming from this baby. Something grand.

He looked down at his wife.

And he passed the baby into her hands.

"It's our baby girl Mayuri..." he said so trying to rub off the tears with the back of his hands.

The mother gazed upon the creature in her hand. She was so fragile and cute. Mayuri could not help but smile and cry in joy. Her face was full of exhaustion, but the smile on her face seemed to fill the dim room with the light of serenity. Mixed with her tears, she could be compared to a setting sun on an autumn day.

"What do you think on naming her?"

The friends who were giving support from the beginning asked in unison. This is one of the most important decisions to be made in this infant's life. Because first names are important to everyone.

Tatemiya, who's still standing the furthest, had a look on his face which was asking the same question.

When a lot of people started asking, Kojiro stared straight at his wife.

"We agreed on this haven't we?"

Mayuri looked in to her husband's eyes and nodded. She then removed her eyes from him and looked at the baby in her arms.

"Her name is..."

Mayuri lifted her up above her head. As if to place the newborn daughter of the Kanzaki's in the center of the moon that was hidden behind the roof of the house.

"Kanzaki...Kaori"


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't see much reviews. But it seems to be expected. I'll just take baby steps and try to update this as fast as possible.**

17 years/10 months ago

It's been a month since the birth of Kanzaki Kaori. The Amakusa Remix church has been busy celebrating every night. This occasion does not occur often. It's this big of a celebration is at such a scale because of the rank of the child's farther.

Kanzaki Kojiro, supreme pontiff of the Amakusa Remix of Church. Child prodigy in the arts of swordsmanship and illusionary techniques. Creator of the Yuizen single strike. And wielder of the Seven Heaven Seven Swords.

This man's strength and respect could not be compared to any member of the Amakusa church. Even the master of the "Trident Spear Shogun", Tatemiya Shoigi, is unable to defeat him in a one-on-one ratio of victories and defeats were: Tatemiya 7 and Kanzaki 93.

Now both of these hideously powerful warriors are drinking a large jar of Sake without a cup.

"Ahahahaha! You've really pulled quite a party Kanzaki" Tatemiya, whose face has already flushed red by the intense alcohol, tapped the shoulders of his friend roughly while holding the jar of sake that was ligther than it was a few seconds ago.

"It's my first daughter. How can I call myself a father, if I weren't able to to pull off a celebration of this scale huh? Ya think I'm some dip-shit like that?" Kojiro responded like a bad-drunk. But he doesn't look that intoxicated. In fact, if someone were to remove the thing in his hand, he would look perfectly fine.

"Hah! What an excuse. If this party was for her, why ain't the mother and daughter here eh?" he asked before taking another gulp of his sake; this time finishing it completely.

"I'm smelling the reason right now", Kanzaki said as he covered his nose and mouth with his left hand, "The stench of alcohol wreaking from your mouth is strong enough to alarm the Anglican church in England. My wife even fainted we celebrated her birthday with alcohol."

Tatemiya scowled as he heard that comment. But that scowl just made his face look more funnier than ever because of the drunkenness of Tatemiya.

"What do you expect? I'm not like you. The man who never get's drunk or leaves a scent after some intoxication."

"That means you lack training. If this goes on, you'll have 0% in defeating me..."

Before he can even finish his sentence, a thick noise was heard.

He moved his eyes to the what he assumed was the source.

What Kanzaki was the remains of the table that they placed there cups and bottles on. And above that reduced pile of wood, laid a large thick hand of a man that was clenched into a fist.

"Oi Kanzaki", Tatemiya said in a delinquent tone, "Ya think that I'm weak don't ya. Fuck that! Stand up! Let's have a fight! Come on! Lift those wimpy fists...i-d-i-o-t."

The drunkenness has led this man to make a fighting position. He's started to throw shadow punches in the air. But all those punches seem wobbly and hard to tell whether it would hurt anybody.

As for Kanzaki.

A vein in his head just popped.

He stood silently up, and raised one hand up infront of his friend.

And clenched it hard.

"You dare call me an idiot. I'm going to fucking murder you bitch." his face and choice of words changed from a sophisticated general, into an enraged hooligan.

The aura from both men were so strong, it could make a person faint just by standing near them.

The other Amakusa members started to step away from them; leaving a circle with these two at the center. A mini-sized boxing ring with Amakusa members as the posts were made.

The other members know very well to neither interfere nor get into range when their higher ranking officials were going to have a fight.

The physique of Tatemiya was already considered quite fit. Either one of muscles could crush a bull just with size. Let alone the hundred skills of the Amakusa style he keeps under his sleeves.

Kanzaki Kojiro had a more medium build. His height was average, his weight was average, even his stance looks average compared to Tatemiya. But this man showed no hesitation in those fierce eyes. His confidence has come from the countless times he has defeated his companion in an honorable battle. And once more, he's set to achieve his victory.

These two are seconds away to nearly killing each other.

Luckily someone came in through the sliding door.

"Kojiro-kun...we need to talk."

It was the frog-faced doctor(now with his usual labcoat and green shirt) or in other words, Heaven Canceller. He's been within this house since the delivery. The doctor said himself that he's going to stay for a month to check-up on the development of the baby.

It was good that he stopped the fight.

Because he was one of the only two people currently in this house who can.

"Oh it's Gero-jiji" Tatemiya said so in his drunk attitude.

Heaven Canceller giving him a slight frown before facing Kojiro.

"Come with me quick"

"Wait doctor. Maybe sit down and have a..."

"Now"

The doctor was direct and serious. Kanzaki felt the heaviness of the situation immediately. If the doctor's the one who's concerned, this must have something to do with the baby.

And his face does not look that good.

Not at all.

"Tatemiya we'll leave this one for another day" he asid without facing his friend.

The large man just shrugged a bit before going back to his seat next to the shattered table.

Seeing that, Kanzaki left the room with Heaven Canceller.

Both of the men walked through the corridor that was completely empty. All of them must be assembled to celebrate at the living and meeting rooms. This was better, Heaven Canceller thinks. If there were people around, they wouldn't be able to reach their destination so quickly.

It took a few turns, but they finally reached the room they were looking for.

It was the room of his wife, Kanzaki Mayuri.

He slid open the paper door that separates the room from the corridor. In there, lying on the futon, was his wife.

It didn't take him much time to discover that something was wrong with her. She looked pale, and her tearducts were swollen. Her beautiful face was tainted with pain and sweat, but she seemed to use all her might to smile towards the husband who she loves with all her heart.

Why does she look so sick?

Those questioning eyes were given to the doctor who had already knelt beside the girl.

"It's an unknown sickness that she got after the delivery."

The answer was given right away.

This made Kojiro's face lose it's color.

"The surgery was supposed to be done with highly technological equipment, and an array of well-trained surgeons if it were done in such a quick haste. But all we had was me and my emergency tools. The risk of infection was too great. So she's..."

Seeing at how this explanation was going, Kojiro dare not hear any further. This meant that it was already a miracle that every went through just fine.

But there's one thing that's knocking the back of his skull.

"How's...Kaori?"

His baby girl that was born in that unusual circumstance.

The doctor pointed his finger to Mayuri's side. When Kojiro looked, he saw a small baby sleeping in a small basket that was embedded with extremely soft material. The girl was not moving an inch, but overall, she seems to be intact.

"She's OK", Heaven Canceller muttered, "It's just her luck actually. Mostly, all the kids born within those conditions would die on the spot. But she survived with no defects whatsoever. But..."

That "but" made Kojiro difficultly swallow his spit.

The doctor did not feel comfortable saying this line. His throat felt unexpectedly dry and powerless.

But those words eventually were wrenched out from his old throat.

"But...Mayuri-chan has these symptoms because of that delivery...it's fatal...I'm sorry there's nothing I can do...Sorry..."

The doctor was on his knees and placed his hands and forehead to the ground to ask for forgiveness. As a doctor, he felt he had failed completely.

Kojiro did not care much about the pose this doctor is making.

He stared at his wife who was about to break in tears.

Mayuri will die?

**Another one done, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**New chap out. If anyone reads this, please read my other work. This is a pass-time I'm writing while I'm having a block from my other works. So please review both. Thx for making this your favorite; those who already did.**

17 years/9 months/ 29 days ago

It's been 2 days since the Amakusas were informed that their leader's wife was severly ill and was bed-ridden to the symptoms that came afterwards. The celebration came to a halt on that exact day.

All personnel in the house were in high-alert; in case her condition starts to worsen. For 48 hours straight, Kojiro and every Amakusa attended to the needs of Mayuri. No matter if it's getting water, changing the cold towel, or feeding her, there was someone there to do it. Even breastfeeding the young Kanzaki Kaori were done by the women of the Amakusa. Heaven Canceller was afraid that this disease would be infectious through breastfeed if Kanzaki Mayuri were to do it herself.

She herself didn't complain or deny the compassionate help from her fellow members. Mayuri knows best that at times like these, no one can be more trustworthy than other Amakusa members.

Tatemiya is sparing his time to help redecorate the room so that she gets more comfortable. He kept repeating "A great atmosphere leads to great recovery!".

As for Heaven Canceller, he's been examining her condition every hour in case her condition worsens. Till now, he's been having trouble finding the correct medication to counter the side-effects of this mysterious disease.

This marks day 32 of his arrival.

It's now his time to return to his hospital in Academy City.

"I'm sorry Kojiro-kun. But I've tried my best to delay my return as much as possible. I hope you forgive me."

Heaven Canceller is now at the entrance along side Kanzaki Kojiro. He's now covering his head with an old hat, and a suitcase in his right hand. He's only here for the delivery; so he packed light with only a months worth of clothes, a tooth brush accompanied with tooth paste, and his emergency surgical tools.

He's feeling very depressed right now. So he's bowing his head to the younger man who's here to see him off.

But Kojiro just raised both hands to say it's okay.

Heaven Canceller has no obligation to feel apologetic at this time. Kojiro remembers him kneeling down at him for forgiveness a couple of days ago. It was really an unneeded apology judging all the things he has done around the house this past month.

It makes Kojiro feel out of place having to be apologized by such a doctor.

"It's alright doctor. I've been in situations where there's nothing I can do. Even if I hope for the best...there's no way something like that's going to happen."

Instead of feeling better, Heaven Canceller just made a more troubled face after hearing that.

He's feeling that this young man is shouldering too many things. Not to mention him being a father while having all these jobs. It's just cumbersome.

Heaven Canceller placed his wrinkled hands on the young man's stern shoulder.

"Try to let loose a bit Kojiro-kun. Talk to a friend, ask Shoigi to help you with stuff, or just do stuff young men like you want to do. Promise me this."

"You know I..."

"Promise me."

He's using the same tone he used on the night Kojiro's wife got bedridden. Those eyes are piercing his, and the grip on his shoulder suddenly felt more heavy.

"OK", he gave in to Heaven Canceller's gaze, "I'll try to relax a bit. My daughter should benefit from it too."

After hearing that, the old doctor smiled lightly and removed his hand from Kojiro's shoulder. They then shared a moment of silence before the doctor adjusted his hat and started speaking.

"About Mayuri-kun's condition...I'm not sure how this will end, but I think it's best that you stay by her side no matter what happens. If only I were more capable..."

"Don't say that...you were better than any other doctor I know. I can't name another person who cares a patient more than you do."

"Guess what...it's the first time I don't feel good after hearing something like that."

Heaven Canceller gave a bitter smile to Kanzaki. The younger man also made a troubled face after seeing this senile man fall so much into depression.

"About the medical fees..."

"Forget about it"

Heaven Canceller cut him off and stepped out to the open road. He pulled the tip of his hat and turned his neck to see Kojiro.

"I still owe some to the Kanzaki family. So don't be afraid to give this old coot a call."

Kanzaki was about to call him back, but Heaven Canceller got on to a cab that pulled over a few seconds. Kojiro ran to stop the cab, but it drove off just when his finger tips touched the door handle.

He did not run after it even though he knows he's capable of doing so.

He has no right to keep that man here.

He can't keep this man away from the world just because of his selfish needs.

All he can do now is look at that yellow cab drive towards the horizon.

But there's a thing that is rumbling in his skull.

There's a feeling in his gut that is telling him to stop the doctor from leaving this house. It's as if Mayuri's life would end the very second the frog-faced doctor sets his foot off this region.

As if to reach that existence that left already, Kojiro reached his hand into the empty space where that great doctor once stood.

But it's now too late to do anything.

It's too late.

"Everything will be fine"

Tatemiya Shoigi walked to his companion, who was about to be broken at any second, and patted his shoulder.

The warmth brimming from that hand assured Kojiro about the future that lies ahead. So he smiled, and hoped for all to end well.

He removed the hand of Shoigi and walked back into the the Amakusa home base.

It's best that he follows Heaven Canceller's advice for now.

Staying with his wife to the very end.

He's been in this house for many years; he knows every twist and turn within this stronghold. So he knows more than everyone else in this house where to find Mayuri's room.

Two turns to the left and one turn at the green Ming vase, this was how he remembers it. Now he's in front of it.

Kanzaki slides the door gently so as to not startle the people inside the room.

And as expected, there are three people currently in this room.

First was surely his wife, who's now laying on the futon. She's been in that same position for the past few days. She's unable to move an inch from her shoulder down, but her facial expressions are working properly. Kojiro's not sure if it's just his imagination, but she looks more pale than before.

Second was Kaori, she's still silently sleeping in her little basket. The slight difference from two nights ago should be the small doll in her arms. And like before, her face looks exactly looks like an angel on a famous canvas. Her face will make you want to pray for world peace.

Third and last was an Amakusa girl, she's soaking a towel in a wooden bucket. She was a teenage girl around 17 with light brown long hair. If he remembers correctly, she's one of the people present during the delivery. Maybe she's one of the nannies that were selected to take care of Kaori.

Too bad he forgot her name.

"Oh! Taisho(commander) didn't expect you to come in so fast" she gave a sheepish and innocent smile to Kojiro. Her voice was abnormally high though.

"Taisho?" he made a puzzled face. It's true that he's their leader, but mostly the other members prefer to use priest-sama or Supreme Pontiff-sama. "Leader" just sounds wrong when it slips off the tongue.

But before he can speak out his concern, she courtly bows at him and leaves the room.

He was about to call her back, but he didn't remember her name. This makes him promise to remind himself later to find her name.

But for now, he'd better meet his wife.

He looks at the room and sees that the girl left the towel in the bucket.

He went to pick the towel up and starts rubbing Mayuri's forehead with it. Then he slowly went down to different parts of her body to decrease the temperature that constantly rises every time she is left unattended.

This process was repeated by him for the past hour.

When she seems to feel better, Kojiro lifted the baby in the basket and took a good look at her.

She was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

He placed his hands on her cheeks and started stroking gently.

This moment for him was truly mystifying.

A time where there's only the three of them.

He kissed the little girl on both cheeks and laid her back down with utmost care.

That's when Mayuri opened her eyes and looked silently at her husband. Even though those large spheres of hers were full of a child's cheerfulness, it still looked tiresome and painful.

The only thing that made her look healthy should that smile she's making.

Kojiro felt her gaze on his back and decided to look.

Their eyes met.

And they did not turn an inch.

There was a meaning hidden in those eyes. A meaning that can only be perceived by two people who had lived nearly a lifetime together.

Kojiro may have took some time, but he smiled back—a smile even more brighter than the sun.

Kojiro lifted her back(as he saw her unable to do so), so that she can be in a sitting position; with his arm to keep her from falling.

He got a cup that was placed next to the bucket and got some water from a bottle that was nearby. He placed the cup to her mouth and slowly allowed the water to go through her mouth.

After seeing the water go down her throat, he placed the cup to it's right position next to the bed.

"Ne...Koji..." a light voice was calling him. He stared down at the woman in his hands—the woman he loved the most.

"Koji...do you think I'm going to die...?"

She asked the most difficult question ever.

"What are you talking! You aren't...!"

Before he can finish yelling at her, Mayuri placed her body to his stern chest. He could feel the small life force she has left touching his heart.

Why does she feel so weak?

"Koji...you remember that day we first meet?"

Of course he could remember.

It was the most messed up day of his life.

"Maid cafes were a new deal at the time. People didn't even approve of it at first. But me and a few friends...decided to go with it anyway...and our first customer...was unexpectedly you..."

Her voice was lacking strength, but she spoke of her past in such a carefree tone. It was surprising that such an enthusiastic woman like her would be dieing in such a way.

"And from that day on...you and Tatemiya-san would be our usual customers...who knew we would end up getting married?hehe..."

"That's a crazy, yet TV drama-like story...I always wanted to see you wear that uniform with the short skirt and frills again though." he tried to be as cheerful even though her heartbeat is slowly decreasing.

"Sorry...but looks like I can't...wear it ever again..."

She said it while losing the jolly tone in her voice. Kojiro felt his chest getting wet.

"What are you saying!" he started yelling once more. This time with a harsher tone.

"You'll get through this! You'll meet Tatemiya and everyone else! You'll wear that sexy outfit! You'll raise Kaori to be a strong and beautiful woman like you! And you'll..."

He tried to say something more but he unconsciously gritted his teeth.

He changed from holding her back with one arm into an embrace.

No matter how much pain she's feeling right now, he's ready to feel it with her.

He had made that decision since he saw her walk down that aisle.

"Through sickness and health till death do us part...remember that Mayuri?" he doesn't know it, but he already started crying.

And he was crying even hard; not the usual crying that could be seen from someone who lost in a game, but rather, a cry that could be heard from someone whose about to lose the most important thing in their life. He was no longer strong, but burying his head to the head beneath his as though the hair demanded his kiss for it. He sobbed hard, broken, and also, stupefied by the sorrowful reality.

"Please… don't cry…"

And she started comforting him.

"Please don't… cry…"

He loosens his embrace so to see her face. She was smiling at him. The brightest smile he has ever seen. The smile he has given his life to protect.

Mayuri was gripping his hand—very hard in her situation.

Mayuri's smile faltered a bit as silence enveloped the air around her and her husband. The light in her eyes seemed to dim a bit, but she tightened her grasp on Kojiro's hand, trying to reassure him despite the growing tension in the air. "Normal, just normal."

"That's good to hear…" He did not know what else to say. His instincts were going crazy but could not figure out what it was. Was there something wrong? Was there something he missed? His mind was in a mess but right now, he wanted to focus on Mayuri.

Mayuri noticed the frustration knitted between Kojiro's eyebrows.

She placed her weight forward and tried her best to pull her self up...

So that she can kiss his lips.

The kiss was short and light.

Like a butterfly landing on water.

But the emotions that were put in that kiss made all the discomfort and confusion in his head to disappear miraculously.

She removed her lips and fell back onto the soft futon.

Kojiro was puzzled.

He's been kissed by his wife countless times, but that was different.

It was as if she was trying to say some word.

But he couldn't find out what it was.

"Koji… I'm tired. I'm going to sleep, is that okay?"

Kojiro felt consciousness returning when he heard those words leave her lips but smiled weakly at her.

"I'll be here until you fall asleep." His eyes widened when he felt her grip loosen in his hand. His heart skipped a beat. "Mayuri…?"

"Thank you for everything, Koji." Mayuri warmly smiled at him as darkness swirled around in her mind, slowly taking her down into an abyss of sleep.

Kojiro quietly stood up and knelt down on his knees beside her with her hands in his. He placed his forehead on hers, silently praying for her safety.

"Please get better, Mayuri, please… We're all waiting for you… Please…"

**Finished and I'll continue my Sports day now.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This is lasting longer than I expected. I never thought of dragging this thing this long and this fast. So please enjoy and review. For those who want Touma, please be patient. It would certainly be awesome.**

17 years/9 months/ 28 days ago

Kojiro woke up early today. He felt as though something was about to happen today.

He completed his usual routine by folding his futon and keeping it in the cupboard.

Followed by changing into his usual Yukata and stepping out to the corridor.

Before breakfast, I should meet Mayuri.

That was his thought when walking along the way. He was having a wide grin as he did so.

He took three or four turns, and he finally arrived to the corridor where Mayuri's room was located.

And her room should be on the most right...

Tatemiya Shoigi is standing there with a subordinate.

Their faces were serious and had a heavy presence hung over all of them.

Tatemiya was saying some words to the two other members.

Slam!

The smile immediately fell from his face as he stared at his right hand man. He had dismissed the subordinate he was talking to. He was currently growling at Shoigi, who was dragged against the wall, being held by his neck.

The large man's right cheek stung where his leader smacked him when he accidentally heard what they were talking about.

"What did you just say to that guy…?" The supreme-pontiff's bangs hid his eyes away from Shoigi, masking his emotions for the moment.

Shoigi glared at the shorter male, knocking the man's grip on his throat. He grabbed his leader by the arms and stared hard into the angered leader of the Amakusa.

"Mayuri passed away, sometime near midnight"

"Damn it, Shoigi! What did I tell you about messing with me?" He struggled against Shoigi's grip.

"You know that I hate those kind of jokes."

Every time he tried to get out of Shoigi's grip, he felt those large hands tightened on him. But he had enough strength to escape.

He placed a fist in his friend's face; sending him flying across the room.

But instead of finishing him off, Kojiro slammed the paper door to the side and went to look inside the room of his wife's.

And down next to his feet,

laid the body of his wife.

As a skilled figther, he know very well that his wife was no longer breathing. The only thing left was her peaceful, yet pale, face that was formed into a tranquil smile.

She was surely dead.

He did not want to believe it. He did not believe that he lost his dearest wife.

Shoigi looked down at his friend, feeling somewhat sympathetic for the man. He did not expect this to happen either, but somehow, he knew that the woman would not last long. Humans were fragile creatures, after all.

"Kojiro, I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen either, but she's dead."

Kojiro looked up at Shoigi with shocked eyes.

"How could you say that about her? Sh-She can't be dead! I-I-I just saw her yesterday. She told me that she was feeling fine. She-She can't be de-de…" He did not want to believe it. He really did not want to.

Shoigi sighed at Kojiro's reaction and knelt down to meet his leader eye to eye. He leaned pulled back his arm, and threw a hook into his face.

Kojiro wasn't sent flying like Shoigi a while ago.

But his face turned to the side so fast, one would worry if he were to break his neck.

He wasn't able to maintain his balance and fell down to the floor next to his wife.

Her face was there, inches next to his.

He can feel the coldness from her skin and the lifelessness of her soul.

He didn't want to believe it.

"Koji..."

eh?

Is he hallucinating.

"Koji...Koji..."

He wasn't. She was calling him.

"Mayuri!"

Kojiro quickly used one elbow to push himself up. He placed his ear next to his wife's ear in case she was going to say 'this was all a joke!'.

But all he heard were four words and a name.

"Watch over...Kaori...for...me..."

Eh?

And she went quiet.

"Mayuri wake up...wake up...This is a joke right."

He shook his wife's shoulder lightly.

But no response came from Kanzaki Mayuri.

"Wake up! Kaori wants you to too. So please...please..."

His face and ears were getting hot. He thought there was one last hope for him to grasp, the one percent chance he has always been ready to obtain.

But now it's all lost.

"I know your strong...but just cry dammit..."

And that was what he did.

Kojiro pulled Mayuri into his arms as he cried his heart out. He knew that Shoigi was being sarcastic but he did not care at the moment. Right now, all he could feel was a giant hole in his heart.

The hole that only a love one can feel.

And around that time in a certain airport.

"Is something wrong doctor?"

A young man who was carrying Heaven Canceller's luggage was asking. Suddenly, the doctor's face suddenly flinched and got pale instantly.

The doctor didn't answer the young man. He just turned around and walked on.

The doctor felt a sudden chill rundown his spine. The feeling of fomething leaving this world. The gruesome feeling he hoped not to ever feel again.

"I failed huh..."

He mumbled those words lightly, but no one heard.

He moved his eyes to a big sign that was projected on his left hand side.

WELCOME TO ACADEMY CITY! THE CITY OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH！！！

17 years/5 months/ 12 days ago

The funeral service 4 months ago was just too plain.

Even though it couldn't be helped she died,

but it was just too hard to accept since it was the funeral of Kojiro's one and only wife.

He couldn't even cry.

This was to be expected.

To suddenly see your wife utter her last words out of a sudden, the

her heart has stopped and her skin lost it's color so she should be dead...

There had to be something wrong with you if you could accept it calmly after being told such a cruel truth.

And yet the other members and relatives had mostly accepted the news, and were

crying non-stop at the funeral.

―I couldn't save her…

The words unconsciously slipped from his mouth.

Of course, this incident was a great shock to him, but such an occurence just couldn't make him feel a sense of realism.

He didn't cry even once, but the people around him who were crying had made him look like a monster being tearless.

But they all stopped this nonsense gossip the next day.

Kojiro took one small room the size of two closets and locked himself inside.

He didn't talk to anybody nor took a step outside.

People could only smell the scent of alcohol as they pass through that room.

It's been four months since then.

His physical and mental health was completely disregarded. His face was unshaven, his clothes in complete rags, and the hair reaching his shoulders. Especially the eyes that were blocked with a white hue.

Kanzaki felt empty.

He hadn't stopped feeling empty ever since he had Mayuri in his arms. Dead. Kojiro groaned as he hit his head against the wall.

He did not know when he had actually started drinking this much but the supreme pontiff was now wracked with grief. And in many ways, guilt. Kojiro felt as though he was the one that had dragged Mayuri into illness. First he thought it would be OK and then it went downhill.

"Tch, the leader of the Amakusa remix of church...what a joke,hehe" he scoffed bitterly as he downed another bottle of alcohol. He was thankful that Kaori was nowhere close at the moment. He could not bear for her to see him like this.

At the funreal he had a lot of things to think about.

She was his wife, but he often wondered what other people saw her as. Mayuri was a loving woman to him. But to other people she may have been many things.

Kojiro roared in pain. The shock made him clench his hands. He lurched and clutched his ears in horror, as the picture of the funeral months ago flew into his conscience. He remembered how afraid they were, when they saw the beautiful face of such a kind woman was left in a coffin.

Then, his headache got worse as he noticed the mourning Amakusas and other families outside the sect, weeping over the loss of their beloved comrade.

Then, it struck him—Kanzaki Mayuri—was a world for someone else other than him. She shared smile, tears, laughs, and griefs with these people. She was a great woman. These shows of sorrow were proof of that.

This gave the feeling of uncertainty in many fields.

One thing was for sure though, Kojiro did not know himself at the moment.

Since his center of of the world has left, he felt purposeless in this vast space. The Amakusa missions and subordinates sound like dust when spoken to him at this state.

"Why couldn't it have been ME!" he growled as he flung the bottle at the wall, uncaring as it shattered into a million jagged pieces.

The loss of Mayuri had struck him harder than he had thought it would. As Kojiro struggled with the loss of his best friend, he questioned his way of life for the first time in a long, long while.

Tatemiya peered in through the open gap of the sliding door.

He opened his mouth slightly but decide not to say anything.

He's been investigating the pitiful state of his close friend for the past 4 months.

He averted as if he could not stand to look at it any further.

"Is it okay to leave him like this secondary-taisho?..." a teenage girl walked up to him and asked the question once she saw his face turn so grim.

"His mental state is not stable enough to meet anyone yet. And with his strength, we couldn't contain him if he were to struggle. It' s best to let time do the healing." His words sounds irresponsible, but it's the best solution any one can think of right now.

"I know that much...but that's not what I meant..." she rolled her eyes to the small gap. The inside of the room was not so visible due to the lack of light, but she was able to see objects placed at the edge of the door.

They were plates and bowls filled with different types of food in them. All of them were full, and all of them were rotting. Insects and rodents were nibbling on the rice bowls, the noodles that were left uneaten turned from yellow to green, and the water in the glass evaporated instead of being drank by the person occupying the room.

The only thing that looked as if a human has ingested it should be the pile of liquor and beer cans lying on the floor.

"You don't have to care about that either"

Tatemiya Shoigi gave another irresponsible statement.

"The abilities he wields allows him to lower his metabolism rate to nearly zero. He can stay as long as a year without a grain of rice just by focusing his energy properly."

"Alcohol also helps the process. They say alcohol is useless because it's a substance that cannot transmit energy once it is digested, but Kojiro invented a way to use that energy from alcohol. And it's energy and nutrients are twice as much as normal food. The only problem is if his liver's gonna deteriorate due to the acidic property of alcohol."

An irresponsible response once again. He shifted his gaze away from the younger girl and strolled away. He may seem unwavering, but he's trying his best to calm down his trembling shoulders.

The struggle between reality of these two men were just incomprehensible.

At the age of 23, these two are facing all the troubles and trials a human could face. They are adults, but they are still too young for all of this.

"Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri..."

From the drunk's mumbling into repeating the name of his passed wife. He could not maintain a normal train of thought as before. He does not know whether it's been days, weeks, or months; the only thing he knows is the small image of a tree through the single window in this dim-lighted room.

Pain.

What is pain for Kanzaki Kojiro.

He's been trying to numb it ever since he felt the lifeless form of Mayuri in his arms. But he has never had the time to fully understand the word

Kojiro buried his face in his shaking hands and started mumbling his insane chant.

"Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri...Mayuri..."

The chanting of Mayuri's name sounded like a spell to soothe Kojiro's twisted mind. The only light of hope present in the room to block him from committing suicide. But little does he know, that chant is the only thing that's keeping him from letting go.

….

….

...

….

He was mesmerized.

Kojiro was too mesmerized, he didn't feel the change in this room.

He felt a soft pat on to his lap.

It was very gentle and light, not to mention small.

He removed his hands and looked down.

A little human was down there. Her purple colored eyes were looking at his. That soft and tender hand which is smaller than his is placed on Kojiro's lap.

She seemed to have gotten bigger than when he last met her 4 months back. Her hair starting to cover her entire head. And the most surprising thing is how she came here.

No one was behind that door; so there was no possibility of someone carrying her next to him. So she must have came here on all fours.

If he's not mistaken, she's only 4-and-half months old. Most infants aren't able to roll around unless they reach 6 months...but this child has accomplished it in 4.

Twice, the distance between this room and Kaori's is quite distant. If she were to crawl all the way here, it means she traveled 500 meters with a pair of hands and legs that's not even a foot long.

He searched his mind to find the proper action to react to this. But his mind which has been isolated from all over the world is not appropriate to do normal responses. So Kojiro just sat there and stared at his daughter with blank eyes.

Kaori was young; she's not supposed to know much about human psychology. She's too young to even think things that's different from scribbles. But there's something she thinks on doing that no one expect she would do.

She climbed up on to his lap. She tries to atleast. Her short arms are hard to reach the center of his legs, but she finally hooked on to it and sat up.

She turned around...

and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Kaori's not able to go half his waist, but her warmth was extremely spreading from that embrace.

Kojiro looked down.

And for some reason...he started crying the first time in 4 months.

"Kaori...Kaori!"

He returned the embrace and held her tightly in his arms. He placed his head on her petite shoulder and started sobbing.

He felt guilty for neglecting her these past months. He wishes that he was able to turn back time. So that he can undo his mistake and take better care of his lovely daughter. He wishes that she would forgive him in the future, and accept him as a good father.

The room that felt like death seemed more bright.

Tatemiya Shoigi who came back to check smiled through the small gap in the hole. He remembers the promise Mayuri told Kojiro.

"Take good care of her Kojiro...or I'll kick your ass!"

**That's done please don't forget to review(No pressure). Flames are also good. **


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